In Cold Blood
by Mindblower
Summary: Neku is forced to leave his friends on a mission to save the world. One accompanies him. But where their relationship will stand at the end of this fiasco is up to Fate. Neku x Rhyme. Yes, I know it's an unusual pairing and no, I don't care.
1. Neku's Journal

Monday, August 4th

It had been two years. Two years since I was shot.

It was one year and forty-nine weeks after I had got out of the hellhole called the UG.

Let me explain something.

The UG isn't _just_ an anagram. It was _the_ anagram.

Still not making sense?

Okay, let me explain further. I live in downtown Tokyo. The shopping district, to be exact. While I was looking at the graffiti of an artist I admire, I was caught in the middle of a shootout and I somehow made it into the UG through death.

The UG is where souls go to get a second chance at life. Those who died due to accidents, or people who just didn't want to go. I think that people who died of old age or suicide can't go back, but don't ask me, I'm not an expert.

What I found out eventually is that I was a part of the Reaper's Game. People who survive the Game the first time but don't win can either play the Game again, get erased, or become Reapers. I don't know why, but some people join ranks with the idiots who have been trying to kill them for seven days straight. I don't get people.

Not that they could die in the first place, because, y'know, they're already dead. The Reapers call it getting 'erased.' It fits, I guess.

So the first time I played the Game, I got paired up with a girl named Shiki Misaki. See, to enter this Game, you have to give up the thing you value most. I guess I gave up my memory. Shiki gave up her appearance, and, through some cruel Reaper's Game joke, she ended up with the appearance of her best friend.

I mean, don't get me wrong, she looked okay. Her best friend wasn't Dracula or something. But when I found out, she broke down a bit. I really don't know how to relate. Girls are so sensitive about how they look. Though I guess it would be pretty weird.

In that first Game, we also met Beat and Rhyme. Beat's kind of an idiot. I mean, he's a great guy, but he couldn't add two and two without a piece of paper. But the way he bursts into something without a moment's thought is kinda inspiring. To get in the Game, he gave up Rhyme's memory of him. What a weird thing to value most, but, like I said, I don't get people.

Rhyme is a different story altogether. She was, um… different, I guess. Shiki said, and I quote, 'She's a little girl with a big heart.' She's constantly spouting some random quote like, 'Haste makes paste' or whatever. She's always keeping her brother on the right track, and helps others whenever she can. But the funny thing is, none of us really could tell what she had given up to get in the Game. Beat passed it off saying, 'Maybe we both valued each other the most,' or something. But I'm not too sure.

Three or four days in, Rhyme sacrificed herself to save Beat, which proved her good heart to me. I mean, the girl had her memory _wiped_ of Beat, and three or four days later, she was sacrificing her life to save him.

But you can't survive in the Game without a partner, but a friend of mine, Mr. H, was on the scene, so he turned Rhyme's energy into a pin. Beat kind of went _insane_ with guilt.

The only survivors of the first Game were me, Beat, and Shiki. Only one of us could come back to life, and Shiki had the best rank out of all of us. Beat chose to become a reaper so he could activate Rhyme's pin so she could come back. You could always trust Beat to be boneheaded like that.

I got my memory back because I survived the Game. But since I couldn't come back to life I chose to play the Game again. But get this: _Shiki_ was the price for playing the Game again! That came as a shocker to everyone, including me. I didn't even know I could _form_ attachments. Guess I didn't have much to live for.

In the second Game, I teamed up with a guy named Joshua. He was a _major_ wacko. But we went on and completed the Game. But I found out that Josh was actually _alive_, which was weird, because you weren't supposed to _see_ the UG when you were alive. Mr. H, who had saved Beat, told me Josh was special like that. But I wasn't convinced.

Since we broke the rules because Josh was alive, I had to play the Game a _third_ time. My price for playing the third time was all of the other players. With no one to partner up with, I was sunk. But Beat defected and joined me. The rest is history.

Josh turned out to be behind the Game, and, after a beat-down between me and his second-in-command, he gave me, Shiki, Beat, and Rhyme back our lives.

Since then, we've all been hanging out at Hachiko every day since. And I just finished this journal entry, so that's where I'm going now.

-_From the pages of Neku __Sakuraba_


	2. August 4th: SI

I casually walked over to the statue of the famous dog, Hachiko. I had a habit for being early to everything. I sort of enjoy waiting for things to happen. It gives me time to think.

Settling into my purple jacket's oversized collar, I sit myself down on the grass near the statue, leaning against the stone.

"Hi, Neku!"

Crap.

"Why are you always here before me?" Rhyme chirped. The thirteen-year-old seemed not to have matured at all in the two years I had known her, having only grown two inches, awaiting her next growth spurt. "I thought _I_ was supposed to be the early bird!"

"Haste makes waste," I said, secretly smiling beneath my collar.

"Hey! That's my line!" Rhyme plopped down beside me. "So, what'cha been up to?" She was wearing her favorite shirt; a gift from Beat. It was orange with a black skull and crossbones painted on that covered the whole front of the shirt. She was growing into it bit by bit, but her fingertips had yet to been seen due to her shirt's massive sleeves. She wore black sweatpants that also had the skull design, though done more artistically. She wasn't wearing her black cap today, which was odd, because this was the first time I'd seen her without it.

"Nothing," I said.

"You say that every day," Rhyme said.

"Only because you ask _every single day_," I laughed. "So let me turn the tables. What have _you_ been up to?"

Rhyme giggled. "Nothing," she said.

"Are you just saying that?" I asked.

"Yes," Rhyme giggled some more.

"Where's Beat?" I asked.

"He's bringing lunch," Rhyme said.

"Ramen Don?" I asked. The take-out ramen shop had been close to closing when Neku was there, but thanks to some in-Game help, the restaurant's business had exploded. Now it had five chefs, instead of one, and spanned three floors, with a fourth on the way. Even people who never ate ramen before seemed to just love the 'simple' air of the place.

"You know it," Rhyme giggled again.

"You seem to be in a good mood," I said.

Rhyme giggled for what seemed to me like the millionth time. "Okay, I found something yesterday." She pulled out a shiny golden box.

"Who's the lucky guy?" I smirked.

"Shame on you!" Rhyme looked hurt. "It's a music box. I used to play it when I was little."

"Sorry," I said. "What song does it play?"

Rhyme fiddled with the box a bit, then sighed. "I have no idea. Beat turned it on for me. I guess I didn't pay attention. I don't even know the name of the song."

"Lunch's here!" Beat called. He was wearing his favorite white jacket with a blue undershirt and shorts. His skull cap was on his head, as usual, which made me wonder again where Rhyme's was.

As Rhyme talked to Beat about the box, I took out my usual meal, got my chopsticks, and sat down on a park bench next to Shiki.

Shiki looked at my order and sighed. "What is it with you and variety, Neku?"

"Hey, it's not like I'm telling _you_ what to eat, right?" I said, defending the rut I had comfortably settled into.

"I'm just saying," Shiki held her hands up in defense. She was wearing another one of her handmade pieces of clothing. It was a maroon dress. I had convinced her to get contacts, and she was amazed at how much better she looked.

"Yeah, whatever," I dug into my ramen. Suddenly, I stopped mid-slurp.

"W-What's wrong?" Shiki asked hesitantly.

"Reaper. Turn your head left. _Slowly_," I added.

When I heard Shiki inhale sharply, I knew she saw him. "B-But he doesn't have any wings!"

"Shiki, he's dressed all in black, is probably looking for someone, and-"

"-Ohmigod he's staring right at us!" Shiki started hyperventilating. With good reason. Our weapons were useless in the real world, and if this Reaper attacked us, the results weren't going to be pretty.

"Scatter," I said, casually finishing my lunch. "I'll tell Beat and Rhyme."

"I'm afraid you'll have to do better than that," said someone from _right behind us_.

Shiki bolted up, sending her unfinished ramen flying into the grass. Not wanting to follow her lead, I somewhat calmly put my plastic dish on the bench next to me, stood up, and whirled around.

The man standing before me had reflective green hair, which suggested massive dyeing and gelling. His skin was abnormally pale, even more than mine, which says something. He was completely covered with a black cloak that was made out of something I couldn't place. His gloved hands sat on an emerald-tipped cane.

"W-Who're you?" Shiki asked. She gasped when she noticed the same guy over near a building, still staring at them.

"Oh, that?" The man waved his hand, and the image disappeared. "It was an illusion. A distraction, if you will. Effective, too."

"Yo, who is 'dis guy?" Beat, who was now on the right of me, asked.

"Friend of yours?" Rhyme asked, oblivious to her friend's facial expressions.

"Possible Reaper," I said.

"Oh, me? Please," the man said. "The Reaper's Game is uncouth and uncivilized, and the Reapers themselves are mindless imbeciles who do little more than expand their own lifespan at the expense of others'. Pathetic."

"Um… what?" Beat said.

The man laughed. "You three better get your friend out of here, before my words give him a stroke!"

Rhyme stepped in front of Beat and spread her arms out, as if to protect him. "Hey! Don't mess with my brother!"

"Oh, do I detect an obnoxious little girl in need of a lecture? Oh, this _is_ my lucky day!" the man squealed.

I suddenly found that I couldn't move. Shiki and Beat seemed to feel it, too, but Rhyme didn't notice.

"It takes one to know one, buster!" Rhyme sneered.

"Quite," the man said. "So Rhyme, you are protecting you brother, yes? Are you protecting him because he needs it, or because you think you are stronger?"

"I, um…" Rhyme faltered.

"Are you protecting him because you think it's right? Or maybe…" the man grinned, "you are protecting him because you are insecure, and you survive on his praise? Yes, I think that's it. You're so unsure of yourself that you need to prove yourself constantly?"

"No! That's not it!" Rhyme screeched. Nobody seemed to notice the increasing volume of the conversation.

"Yes, it is. You don't have the _confidence_ it takes to be like your brother. He loathes you for always second-guessing your decisions. You'll never be like him, no matter how hard you try," the man was pushing Rhyme to the brink, and I felt awful because I couldn't intervene.

Rhyme covered her ears. "Stop it!"

"And you _have_ tried hard, Rhyme. Remember second grade? Remember the _scar_ you got trying the be headstrong like your brother? Remember how you failed _miserably_?" the man laughed. "No matter how hard you try, you'll always be a fake. You will _never_ be like Beat! You will live forever in his shadow!"

Rhyme ran away crying, and I found that I could move again. Shiki ran after Rhyme. Meanwhile, Beat and I had a _serious_ bone to pick with the man who brought Rhyme's inner secrets to light.

"What's wit you, dude?" Beat yelled.

"Yeah!" I yelled. "You just made a sweet, innocent little girl cry!"

"Oh, you'd prefer I picked on one of you, instead?" the man smirked. "That can be arranged."

"Who are you, anyway?" I asked.

"SI's the name, bringing secrets to light is my game," the man said. "If you need me, I'll be in 104. But for now, ta!"

Beat rushed up to punch SI, but as soon as he was about to make contact, SI melted into the wind.

"Arrgh, why?" Beat asked.

"We can talk about this later. Right now, we need to help Rhyme," I said.

We found Rhyme hysterically crying on a park bench, with Shiki on her side, hugging her close. Rhyme's sleeves were damp, and her nose was running. I don't usually get upset, but seeing the happy, bubbly Rhyme in a mess like this really got on my nerves, partly because I couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"I can't get her to stop," Shiki told us.

Beat sat down on the other side of Rhyme and reached into her pocket. He pulled out the music box and turned some switches on it for a minute. It began to play a soft lullaby of a song I couldn't place. Rhyme sighed and leaned on Beat for support.

"Who _was_ that freak?" Shiki said.

"He called himself, 'SI,'" I said. "Local whacko who enjoys verbally abusing thirteen-year-old girls."

"This isn't _funny_, Neku!" Shiki said.

"I never said it was!" I exclaimed. "I just think you got your wires wound a _little_ too tight."

"Too… Arrgh!" Shiki threw back her head in agitation. "Didn't you even _see_ Rhyme?"

"She's asleep," I said.

Shiki looked over to see Rhyme comfortably leaning against Beat, breathing deeply.

"We can talk about it later," I said. "Beat, would your parents mind us sleeping over?"

"We can't tell them, right?" Beat asked.

"What, that some mystery guy screwed up Rhyme emotionally and then disappeared without a trace?" Shiki exclaimed. "Um, he's not still here, is he?"

"He said that if we needed him, he'd be in 104," Neku said. "He's tough, so don't get any ideas. Anyone who can just vaporize himself like that should be dealt with carefully."

"I'll stay here with Rhyme a bit," Beat said. "And, if I get a chance, can I punch him?"

"I doubt you'll get that chance, but if you do, go for it. Just play it by ear for now, okay?" I asked.

"Will do," Beat said.

We walked off to make plans for this evening. Who was SI? How tough was he?

And was his picking on Rhyme spontaneous, or was it planned?


	3. August 4th: Crush

We met at Beat's apartment at around six p.m.

It wasn't run-down like I thought it would be. Beat's parents were out on some parent-teacher conference, so there was no need to lie to them or cover up Rhyme's hysteria. We had the apartment to ourselves, which was convenient, because we didn't want _anyone_ listening in on our conversation.

Beat and Rhyme shared a bedroom with a single bunk bed. They shared a laptop and printer, but they probably only used it for school assignments. Posters of skulls, the Prince, and the like hung on the walls.

On the bottom bunk, Rhyme was heavily leaning on Beat. She still looked upset at what had happened earlier today, and I didn't blame her.

I set my sleeping bag and toiletries on the ground and sat next to them. "Where's Shiki?"

"She called and said she couldn't make it," Beat said. "Something about Eri."

Eri was Shiki's BFF, or so she told me. I didn't see how it could be more important than this, but she had probably been planning it for a long time.

"Will she be back?" I asked.

"Not before curfew," Beat said. He started stroking Rhyme's short, blond hair. It looked like she had been crying recently.

Neku sighed. This would be _much_ harder without the selfless, sympathetic Shiki. "We'd better get started anyway."

Rhyme wiped her eyes. "I-I'm sorry I freaked out today… it was stupid…"

"Okay, let's lay down the law," I said. "_Anyone_ who says _anything_ negative about themselves earns a flick on the ear. Got it?"

Beat and Rhyme nodded.

"Seriously, Rhyme, I don't get _why_ you even got upset!" I said. "I mean, are you sure he wasn't just saying stuff to make you doubt yourself?"

Rhyme thought about that. "No, i-it was all true," she said.

"You know I wouldn't _ever_ hate chu, Rhyme," Beat said. "But that guy was right. You need to find your own path. Different than mine. But don't _ever_ think that for a _second_ I ain't proud of you."

Rhyme sniffled. "No, he was right. I've followed you so l-long, it's all I know anymore!"

Before she could start bawling again, Beat flicked Rhyme on the ear.

"Hey!" she objected.

Beat held up his hands, and pointed at me.

"It's the rule," I said.

Rhyme contained herself and leaned against Beat again.

"And Rhyme, I gotta ask," Beat said. "What was he talkin' about, you havin' a scar, an' all."

"I don't want to talk about it," Rhyme sobbed.

"You don't have to. It was only a question," I said. "You show us when you're ready."

"Th…Thanks, Neku," Rhyme said. "Could I talk to you… just for a bit?"

"Sure," I said, surprised.

Beat got up and left the room at his sister's wish.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked.

"Well…" Rhyme had calmed down considerably. "I don't want Beat to see my scar."

This was a shocker. "But he's your brother! Why me?"

"Because, SI's right, I don't want my brother to be disappointed in me… I'm kinda dependant that way…" Rhyme said.

I reached over and flicked Rhyme hard on the ear.

"Ow!" she said, and giggled. "Sorry. It's just that… I dunno. You just seem like the kind of person who doesn't care, or expect anything of me. It's just nice to talk to you about uncomfortable stuff."

"Okay, I guess," I said, feeling a bit awkward at Rhyme's sudden praise. "But let's sleep on it. I don't want you to make a decision that you might regret later."

"Okay," Rhyme said. I had a feeling she was silently thanking me.

I saw Beat outside, motioning for me to join him, so I told Rhyme I'd be right back and left the bedroom.

"What'd she say?" Beat asked.

"I think she might be upset if I told you," I said. "She probably trusts me to keep it a secret."

"Ah," Beat nodded. "Why you?"

"I asked the same thing!" I said. "She told me, but I really don't know what to make of it."

"What'd she say?" Beat asked.

"Again, classified," I sighed. "How about you go talk to her for a while. Then we can watch a movie or something."

"Y'know, you don't think Rhyme has a… y'know… _crush_ on you, yo?" Beat grinned.

I wasn't amused. "If she does, it'll pass."

"I dunno, man, once Rhyme gets sweet on you, there's no going back," Beat persisted.

I glared at him. "Ha, ha, _bite me_."

"What-eves, man," Beat held his hand up in defense. "Sorry I touched a nerve."

"I could care less," I said. "Right now, what_ever_ she's got on me, it's out of comfort, no more."

"But chu _do_ admit she's hot on you, right?" Beat said.

"It _will_ pass. Period. Now shut your mouth before I break one of your teeth," I said. But the damage was done. Beat now knew how to get on my nerves, which was bad. He had been trying to find out what got under my skin for years.

But, under my collar, I smirked. Beat hadn't told me to keep _that_ conversation a secret.

Rhyme was really the only one who watched the movie.

Beat was texting on his new phone which he had got as a coming-back-to-life present. I was listening to tunes on my IPod touch. I had the volume turned down low enough so that if either of them said anything, I would hear it, but loud enough so that I blocked out background noise.

It gave me some time to think about the major questions.

Who _was_ SI, exactly? For one thing, he wasn't just some ordinary dude. He knew all our names right off the bat, and knew how to hit us, _Rhyme_, at least, where it hurt. Then he just melted away. What gives? Why would he _do_ something like that? I got the feeling we'd be seeing him again _real_ soon.

And what about Rhyme herself? She wasn't like that. I don't think I've _ever_ seen her cry before. And, the thing is, we've never actually_ been_ in any situations where she could run away like that. Maybe it never happened because it never _could_ happen. But, still, I thought Rhyme was the solid fortress of unicorns and rainbows. SI turned that upside-down, and he didn't even looked like he _cared_, if he did at all! What a jerk.

And, I don't even know _why_ I'm thinking about this, but what if Rhyme _does_ have a crush on me? I really don't know what I'd do. I mean, I've spent the majority of my life avoiding people. So what if one seeks me out? I don't know. That's never happened to me before. I guess I'll only react when it begins to be a problem.

But Beat is probably just full of crap. He'd been _all_ over me when he found out me and Shiki went on a date. It wasn't even really a _date_. I had just went to her house for dinner and stuff. Beat is just trying to get on my nerves, because it's so damn _hard_ to. But I'll enjoy seeing him squirm when Rhyme finds out his suspicions.

"This is my favorite part of the movie," Rhyme said. She was on the other couch, but I saw the look in her eye that made me go _Uh-oh_.

On the screen, it showed two lovers kissing on the docks near the sea. "So what?" I said. "It's just two people making out."

"This is the climax of the movie," Rhyme said dreamily. "These two have been fighting against their tribal customs to see each other, because their love is so strong."

I saw Beat smirking at me. Remembering our conversation, I smirked right back and looked over at Rhyme.

"Someday, I'm going to find my love, and _we're_ going to kiss on the beach _just _like those two are," Rhyme sighed. "I know it sounds cliché, but deep down, that's what _everyone_ feels. They need to find the person that they'll spend their _whole_ life with. Love is like the wind, you can't see it but you can feel it all over."

I glanced at Beat again. Here's what we would've said, had Rhyme not been present:

Beat:_ Dude, no. If you tell her, I'm gonna be _so_ pissed!_

Me:_ You asked for it._

"Hey, Rhyme, do you have any idea who this man would be?" I asked, careful to disguise my tone so that Rhyme wouldn't find out what I was doing.

"No… but I've been browsing. I'll find him when I'm not looking. It's better that way," Rhyme said, still staring at the screen, which had moved to a different scene.

"Better how?" I persisted, giving Beat the evil eye. He was freaking out, at this point.

"Well… I can't really explain it… but it's just this _feeling_ you get when you find the right person. I probably won't find him soon, at any rate," Rhyme explained.

"What qualities must this man have?" I asked.

"I'm not picky," Rhyme said. "He just has to _know_ me. Where I like to go, what I like to do. I'll know him when I see him."

"Beat thinks it might be me," I said, rather spontaneously.

Rhyme almost flipped over in her chair. "WHAT?"

"Dude!" Beat said, making a beeline for the bathroom.

"GET BACK HERE!" Rhyme yelled. Her eyes were murderous. She didn't get to the bathroom in time, however, and Beat locked the door. "COWARD!"

Meanwhile, I was laughing silently. Rhyme was _extremely_ patient, and clever. Sooner or later, she'd find a way to get Beat out of the bathroom, and the beat-down that would follow would _not_ be pretty.

But I decided to spare him. "You know what a bonehead your brother can be," I told Rhyme.

"_That's_ why I'm going to _wait _here until I either fall _asleep_ or he _comes out_ and faces his punishment like a man!" Rhyme was fuming.

"Y'know, he just came to that conclusion today," I said. "And, face it, you can't stay mad at him long."

"That's why I'm going to do it _now_, before I forget!" Rhyme said. She sighed, and put her head in her hands, leaning against the door.

"Are you mad because you _do_ like me, or because you _don't_?" I asked.

"Neither," Rhyme said quietly. "I just c-can't believe he would _say_ something like that."

"Neither can I," I confessed. Maybe I went too far by telling her; she was about to start sobbing again. "But Beat is just like that. He leaps before he looks." I leaned in and whispered in her ear. "_We're going to get him while he's sleeping, okay_?"

Rhyme grinned and wiped her eyes. "You're right, Neku. Beat's just an ass. Let's go to bed."

I was impressed at how quick she caught on. I brushed my teeth in the kitchen sink while Rhyme changed into her nightgown. We both got in our beds. Rhyme said she would wake me up when it was time to do the prank; we decided to work it out while Beat was asleep so he couldn't eavesdrop.

As I settled into bed, I sighed as I imagined Beat's facial expression when he found out what we did, whatever that was going to be.

The sun was just barely peeking in through the window. I yawned and stretched as I left dreamland and came back to Earth.

…Wait a minute.

I tore off my sleeping bag and whispered, "Rhyme?" Getting no response, I said, louder, "Rhyme?"

Knowing by this time that something was up, I stood up and looked around. Beat wasn't in his bed, and I saw no trace of Rhyme. Since Beat wasn't here, maybe Rhyme didn't really feel the need to wake me up. Or maybe they were just playing some major prank on _me_.

I climbed up the bunk and checked to see if she was still here.

She wasn't.

Instead, I found a round pin with Rhyme's portrait, and over half of it was tinted red.


	4. August 5th: Enlistment

Tuesday, August 5th

Okay, I'm writing this really fast because I'm freaking out. Somehow Rhyme got turned into a pin, and I have no idea what to do. I'm going to let Shiki and Beat know, but I'm really worried.

-_From the pages of Neku __Sakuraba_

Putting my journal back where Beat couldn't find it, I fumbled around in my stuff for my phone.

"Come on, where is it… There!" I don't know why I was freaking out like this. I'm usually the levelheaded one in the group. I absentmindedly wondered how Shiki and Beat would react. It probably wouldn't be pretty.

I heard Shiki's sleepy voice answer the phone. "…Neku, do you have _any_ idea what time it is?"

"No. Listen you'd better get over here. Rhyme got herself trapped in a pin," I explained.

I heard a dull _thump_. It was probably Shiki's head hitting the roof. "Oh God, I'll be over there ASAP!"

"You'd better," I warned, holding Rhyme's pin close.

Now for Beat. I walked over to the bathroom. "Beat?"

Beat yawned loudly. "Neku, what time is it?"

"No idea. Rhyme got herself trapped in a pin, you gotta come out here _pronto_," I explained.

I heard Beat moving inside the bathroom, but it stopped abruptly. "Wait a minute… this ain't some _prank_ chu're pullin' on me, right?"

"We don't have time for this!" I said, frustrated.

"No way, punk," Beat laughed. "I know how shifty my sis' is. Better luck next time, yo."

"Arrgh!" I threw my head back in exasperation. I calmed down, and, with my best shot, slid the pin under the door.

After a few seconds, I heard some scrambling. "Holy shit!" Beat yelled.

"What do we do?" I asked, frantic.

"You tell me, yo!" Beat unlocked the door and came out. Just then, we heard a knock at the door.

I opened it and Shiki rushed in. Her hair was a mess, but she'd had the sense to change clothes and put on some socks and shoes. "Listen, if this was a prank, I'm gonna-"

I thrust the pin into her palm. She gasped and fumbled with it in her hands.

"_That_ was in her bed when I woke up," I said. "See the red? I swear there's more now than before."

"What do we do?" Shiki asked, panicking. She was hopping from foot to foot like she was standing on a bonfire.

Suddenly the hair on my skin stood on end. _"If you need me, I'll be in 104."_

"SI," I said. "He knew this would happen. He _knew_ we would need his help."

"Wait what makes you so certain he _didn't_ do this?" Shiki questioned.

"I don't," I said miserably. "But he's our only option. And I don't want to be here when the red hits the top of the pin."

We found SI at 104.

It was a big shopping center, so we didn't expect to find him easily, but he was just right of the entrance of the shop we checked first. It was as if he knew we were going to check there.

"Fancy seeing you here," he said. "No need explaining the situation to me, I already have a basic outline."

"Yeah, because _you's_ the one that did it!" Beat accused. "Now give us back Rhyme!"

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. That is what's known as a Parasite Pin. When someone is forced inside, it feeds on their life force until in has enough to split in two. Then the process starts again. The host, of course, is destroyed. The Reapers kept a Parasite Pin on hand for emergencies, but they can lose control quickly, so they need to be careful. I don't sense any Reaper energy nearby, however, so they must have anticipated you seeking my help," SI explained.

"How do we get her out?" Shiki asked. "Please! Just tell us!"

"You'd need to find another host," SI said, "but only a Reaper or myself can make the switch."

"So what's the catch?" I asked.

SI laughed. "Always one to get to the point, are you? Fine. I'll make it simple." He stretched his arms, like he had all the time in the world, which only irked me more. "If I save Rhyme, there will be a price. But I will only tell you _after_ I have saved her. Do not ponder your choices too long. If we waste much more time, Rhyme's surviving life force will not be enough to sustain her life, and she will die."

Beat looked down. "Anything for her life," he said.

"Good, then. Shall we?" SI said.

"Where to?" I asked.

"The Shibuya River," SI said. That was where the Reaper HQ and RG intersected. Reapers weren't like players. They could be seen in the real world. Rock stars like 777 worked part-time as Reapers. It wasn't all that bad, except for when you had to oppose the players. I almost erased 777, but decided to spare him. He got erased anyway.

He waved his hand, and I began to feel dizzy. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, I was standing right in front of the barrier blocking the Reaper HQ. It was criss-crossed by black-and-white lines, and a Noise symbol rested in the middle.

The Noise were erased souls combined with negative thoughts and feelings. The nastier the soul was, the nastier the Noise. While I was in the Game, I had a special pin that allowed me to seek out and fight Noise. They appeared as symbols similar to the one on the barrier.

"Dammit!" Beat yelled. "How're we gonna get past that?"

"Observe." SI raised his hand, and the Noise symbol fell to the ground. The lines shot back like broken guitar strings and hung there in coils.

Beat, Shiki and I all said different versions of, 'Whoa.'

I glanced at the pin, and found that the red was about five-eighths across. "We gotta hurry!" I yelled.

"Godspeed," SI agreed.

We reached the corridor leading to the headquarters. It was entirely black and white. There was a small stream of sewer water on our right. SI stopped us in our tracks.

"They're here," he said.

"What?" Shiki said. We looked around, but didn't see anything.

"They choose whether they're seen by the living or not," SI said. He pivoted and asked, "Isn't that right, Ms. Yashiro?"

"Aw, poo," a Reaper stepped out of what seemed like thin air, stunning all of us but SI. She had her old black vest with a matching short skirt but had abandoned her traditional pink hair, in exchange for a shade of crimson.

"Pinky?" Beat yelled.

"I was looking forward to ambushing you, too," she pouted.

"I'm truly sorry, but we don't have time for games. A life is on the line," SI said. Rhyme's pin flew out of my hand and into his.

"Wait a minute…" Pinky said before a bright yellow beam shot out of the pin SI held in his outstretched hand. Her last words were, "YOU SET ME UP!"

Suddenly, I began to feel a little woozy. "What?" I asked. "What just happened?"

"Didn't you see?" Shiki asked me.

"Everything's a little fuzzy… Ahh!" I clutched my head. This kind of searing headache hadn't happened since the Game.

Rhyme appeared next to me. She toppled over, unconscious. I couldn't catch her, though. I was in too much pain.

Beat was on the scene. He caught her, thankfully. Then he saw SI walking towards him. "Don't chu come near my little sis'!" He threatened.

"If left in this condition she'll die!" SI yelled. "I only want to save her life."

Shiki was already dialing the hospital, but her phone wouldn't get any signal in the land of the Reapers.

SI's eyes darted back and forth. I got the feeling there were many more Reapers bracing themselves for attack. "I didn't want to have to do this," He whimpered. He thrust his hands out to either side. "BACK!"

Suddenly, the headache was gone. But the weird thing was, I couldn't remember anything that had happened in the past five minutes. I had no idea why Beat was holding Rhyme or why SI was exerting himself.

Rhyme moaned softly. Her face had lost all color, and was twisted in pain. She was sweating and bruised all over, like she had been fighting to get out of the Parasite Pin. She also looked like she had lost weight. She had been skinny before, but now she looked almost skeletal.

"Stay with me Rhyme, stay with me," Beat pleaded. He had a finger on her pulse, but it must have been bad, because he and Shiki were panicking.

Suddenly, all was quiet. SI turned around. "That should clear out the pack," he muttered. He turned to the still resistant Beat. "You know her pulse is fading. Give her to me, before I have to injure you."

"No!" Beat snarled. "I'll never forgive chu for what chu did ta' her!"

"No, Beat," Shiki begged. "Don't fight him."

It was too late. A ray leaped out of SI's finger before any of us could react.

"R-R-… Rhyme…" he murmured before losing his grip and falling over.

Suddenly, the same paralysis feeling I had yesterday took a hold of me. SI pushed Beat away and leaned over Rhyme. He started muttering words in a language I couldn't understand, nor wanted to. At the end of his quiet chant, he inhaled. When he exhaled, a fog-like gas left his lips and curled itself over Rhyme. Her body regained its former stature. The bruises disappeared. The blood returned to her face as it lost all tension. She sighed, and rolled over on her side, as if she was still in bed.

SI stood up shakily. He steadied his breathing. "She should be fine, for the time being. She is considerably weaker than before, though." He turned to Shiki and I. "And now for the price of my services."

"Name it," I said.

"Neku!" Shiki protested.

I looked at her. "He earned it."

"That I did," SI agreed. "Rhyme is to come with me to train for a year in the art of positive energy."

"What?" Shiki asked. "Slower this time, please."

SI ignored her. "Neku, you may accompany her."

"Me?" I asked.

"You are the only person who she will willingly accept as her partner," SI explained. "Conveniently, also the most adept with negative energy in the group."

"Neku," Shiki said. "You don't have to leave."

I tucked my chin into my collar. "I can't just leave her with him alone. Besides, Beat would kill me if he found out I could've went."

I was walking toward SI when Shiki grabbed my arm. "Don't go," she pleaded.

I looked at SI. "Can I ask a favor?"

"I suppose," he sighed.

"Can we come back to visit?" I asked.

"At times," he said. "This is my final offer. You, Rhyme, and the occasional visits."

I turned to Shiki, and put my hand on hers. Shiki, the accomplished seamstress. "Make something for me, for when we get back. Something special." I gently removed her hand from my arm.

Shiki nodded. "I-… I'll get started right away."

I walked over to Rhyme. Shiki helped me pick her up. She remained unconscious.

"Do you accept that you will be training with me for one year to help me combat the ultimate evil?" SI asked. His words had a certain power, and they hung heavy in the air.

"I accept," I said, without hesitation. I glanced at Rhyme, who I had to hold up by her waist. She really wasn't all that heavy. "What about her?"

"I does not matter if she agrees or not, because she is essential to my plan," SI said. He smiled. "But you make a nice addition as well."

"Thanks," I said, though I'm not sure I meant it.

SI touched my forehead with his index finger, and I blacked out.


	5. Date Unknown: Home Base

I woke up, feeling sore everywhere, with a minor headache.

The bed was king-sized, and its sheets were different shades of purple, my favorite color. The floor was a grayish metal. I swung myself out of bed. The ground was like ice.

I shivered and looked around. Oddly enough, there were portraits of me in different poses, most of them my 'brooding' look. Other showed pictures of me with Shiki or Beat. I didn't see Rhyme in any of them. The wall was the same metal as the ground.

I looked inside the dresser on the other side of the room. My casual clothes were inside, and some other clothes, too. I didn't recognize them. SI probably picked them out for me. They were all different shades of black, gray, white, and blue. They made up the majority of the dresser.

I saw a note on the dresser labeled: From Shiki. I read it.

_Dear Neku,_

_SI told me this would get to you. I'm not sure if he's telling the truth or not, but if it does, I want to let you know that I'm worried sick!_

I chuckled. This was definitely from Shiki.

_Please, please, take care of Rhyme. Don't let her forget us. SI will probably use some mind-bending techniques to twist her over to his side. Never, _ever_ let that happen. For her sake, and for Beat's._

_If SI lets you, respond ASAP. I'm working on your new clothes as we speak. It'll take some time, I don't know how long. Please come back soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Shiki_.

I found myself wiping my eyes. Did I miss them that much already? When was I going to get to see them again?

"Three months," said someone to my right.

I jumped, and turned toward the noise. Thankfully, it was only SI. "Arrgh, do you have to startle me like that?"

"You know as well as I do that scaring people is fun!" The way SI said it made me wonder if he was all there. "It will take three months for Shiki to finish your new suit. I figured that would be the best time for them to make a visit."

"Three _months_?" I yelled. "Are you out of your _mind_?"

"Yes, completely," SI said. "And I'll have you know, I made extensive changes to my schedule to incorporate this get-together." He summoned a tray, and on it, a teapot and two cups. "Drink this. It will calm you down. You're about to have a breakdown, Neku."

I hesitantly took the cup. SI and I walked over to the table and chairs nearby.

SI put a straw in his tea and took a sip. I looked at him skeptically. "You drink your tea with a straw?"

SI laughed. "Everyone has quirks that go outside their personal norm. I understand your friends have had a difficult time breaking you out of that shell of yours."

I took the cup and took a sip. It had a particular flavor. "Ginseng?"

"Southern Ginseng, to be exact," SI clarified. "I prefer the taste of Ginseng to any other tea available, except maybe raspberry."

"Tell me. Where am I?" I asked.

"Where are you? You're in my training facility, level zero," SI said.

"Level zero?" I asked, confused.

"Every month you will move up a level until you reach level ten, at which point your training will be complete. Level zero is basically a regular training facility, training here only lasts a week. Level one, three weeks, and you will learn how to control your powers. By level ten, you will be able to create fabled undead and manipulate the planets' orbit," SI explained.

"All this in a year?" I asked.

"Less," SI said. "But there are others already at that point."

"Like who?" I asked.

"Well, I have five disciples, not including you and Rhyme. They have all survived the harshest trials in the world, but you are the first who have survived the Reaper's Game. You also have considerably more power than any of the others. Unfortunately, you are a bit of a last-minute recruitment. You are farther behind than any of the others, but you should be able to catch up fairly quickly." SI took another sip of his tea.

"Where's Rhyme?" I asked.

SI pointed to the door behind him. "She's a bit delusional."

"I want to see her," I demanded.

"Please do," SI said. "But, please, for her sake, feed her this." SI summoned a tray with a bowl of noodles, fish wraps, a salad, and spicy tuna rolls. "She hasn't eaten in thirty-two hours, but she won't accept anything from me."

I sighed. Rhyme was too stubborn for her own good.

"She'll be fine, as long as she eats," SI assured me. "But the sooner the better."

"Right," I said. I got up and knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Rhyme?"

Still nothing. I turned around, but SI, the tray, and the tea were gone.

I slowly went in anyway. Rhyme's room was similar in makeup to mine; it had a dresser, a table and chairs, and portraits. But Rhyme, in her portraits, looked happy. She was always smiling or laughing. The floor and walls, instead of metal, was of orange carpeting. The ceiling had a mural of stuffed animals happily playing in a field.

Suddenly, it struck me. These rooms were modeled after our _personalities_. Mine was cold and empty. Rhyme's was fluffy and joyful. I felt a twinge of jealously, but it left as soon as I saw Rhyme.

Her hair was a matted mess. She looked deathly pale. She was laying on her side facing me. "Hi, Neku," she said softly.

"Hey, Rhyme," I said.

Rhyme smiled weakly. "Are you my prince who's come to rescue me?"

Oh, crap. She really _was_ delusional. But I decided to go with it for now. "Yes, Rhyme. I'm your knight in shining armor."

Rhyme sighed, and the way she looked at me made me feel uncomfortable. "What's that?" she asked, pointing at my tray.

"You haven't eaten in a while, so I brought you some food," I said. I sat down on the edge of the bed with my tray in my lap, and turned so I could face her.

She sniffed. "Smells good," she said. I set the tray next to her and began using chopsticks to spoon noodles into her mouth.

It was so sad, how weak she looked. She looked like she was about to die from some disease, like cancer or AIDS. I decided I was going to kill in cold blood whoever put her in that Parasite Pin, even if it was SI.

After she had eaten everything, Rhyme giggled and said, "All done."

I put the tray on the floor. "Yeah, Rhyme. All done." I put my hand on Rhyme's cheek.

"You're hand feels warm," Rhyme said.

"Listen, Rhyme," I said. "You're in a dream now. In a few minutes, you're going to wake up, alright?"

Rhyme frowned. "This isn't a dream. You're my knight in shining armor. You said so."

I stroked her hair. "Did a bad guy come in earlier?"

Rhyme nodded. "A bad guy came in earlier and tried to feed me. I said no. Then he said I was dis-illusional and went away."

Holy shit, she was even mispronouncing words. This wasn't the Rhyme I knew. "Do you feel better now that I fed you?"

Rhyme shifted, then yawned. "I'm sleepy. Can you come pick me up in the morning?"

I suddenly realized that it was the middle of the night. I wondered how I'd missed something so simple.

"Yeah, Rhyme. I'll be there." I smiled warmly, then tucked Rhyme under the covers. I brushed some sauce off the corner of her mouth and said, "Chin up, all right?"

Rhyme nodded with her eyes closed. She began to breathe steadily and deeply. I figured only hunger pangs had kept her awake. Her 'knight in shining armor' thing had probably been denial coupled with how weak she was. I hoped she would turn back into the normal Rhyme when she recovered her strength.

I picked up the tray, left the room, and quietly shut the door behind me.

"Bravo," SI said, though I had been expecting it this time. "She'll recover by the time she wakes up tomorrow."

"Where, exactly, am I?" I asked.

"We're in orbit of a moon several dozen light-years from your home planet. The windows are see-through, but they won't open because of the space vacuum," SI explained.

I looked out the window left of the bed. I was baffled at the fact that SI wasn't lying. A blue-green moon hung outside the window. I could seen the horizon, but I couldn't see its sides, it was so close. Above it, if that's the right phrasing, was an orange planet bursting with volcanic activity.

"Keep in mind, Neku, that you're only seeing the sky on the moon," SI said. "If you had the time to venture there and, of course, couldn't die for lack of oxygen, you'd see that the surface is a much different story."

"Whoa," I said. "The view never gets old, does it?"

SI snorted. "_Everything_ gets old eventually. Things getting old is the source from which boredom and death spring."

"Thanks for the life lesson," I rolled my eyes. "I'm just saying it's amazing."

"Sorry I have to cut our visit so short," SI said, "but there's an incident on level five that I have to look into."

"Oh, I'm deeply saddened," I said sarcastically.

"Watch your tone. You'll be through every one of these interstellar stations, and it's my job to keep them in top shape for your arrival," SI warned.

"What about the other five disciples?"

"There's one on level one, two on level three, and one on level nine. The one on level nine will serve as a substitute mentor when he finishes level ten, you'll meet him sooner or later," SI said.

"Cool." I gazed out the window again.

"Oh, and, before I go," SI grimaced. "Listen for Rhyme. Make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

"What?" I asked.

"To put it simply, she won't be at all pleased when she wakes up," SI said.

With that happy thought, he left me with many unanswered questions. But I settled for the view. As I gazed out at the moon and planet, I wondered what my alleged 'powers' were, and what role Rhyme and I played in SI's 'plan.'

My questions would be answered soon enough. All I could do now was wait.


	6. August 6th: Explanation

_Thump_.

I snorted and rolled back over in bed.

_Thump. Thump_.

"Rhyme, don't break the door down," I moaned. "I'm trying to sleep."

Realizing what I had just said, I bolted out of bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. "Rhyme!" I yelled, rushing through the door.

I found Rhyme ramming herself against the door at full speed, trying to bust it off its hinges. I ran in front of her before she could hurt herself.

"Rhyme!" I yelled. "Stop! Now!"

"No!" Rhyme yelled. She barreled past me, but I grabbed her by her shirt collar and she slipped onto her back.

"Neku!" Rhyme yelled at me. "We're trying to _break out_, remember?"

"No," I said. "We're not."

She tilted her head at me, confused.

"Now listen to me, Rhyme," I continued. "I _need_ you not to go ballistic on me while we're here. Stay calm, and we'll get out of this."

Rhyme folded her arms. "Are you _really_ that stupid?"

"What?" I yelled, offended.

"SI obviously wants us for something. And I _know_ it's not good," Rhyme said.

"SI told me we're going to help him save the world!" I said.

"Ha!" Rhyme scoffed. "_Hitler_ thought he was saving the world from the Jews! Does _that_ make him any less evil?"

"Rhyme, I don't see any other option other than helping him, at least for now," I said. "And, like it or not, we're stranded trillions of miles from home, family, friends, or anyone else who could help us."

She huffed at me. "Fine."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "I want to see that all-smiles Rhyme I haven't seen in so long."

"Two days," Rhyme said. "And I haven't heard of anyone suffering from Rhyme withdrawal."

I laughed. "Just remember: We're in this together."

"You've said that so much I think we're starting to become one person," Rhyme grinned.

We both laughed this time. Rhyme couldn't stay angry at _anyone_ for long, and vice versa.

I saw someone out of the corner of my eye. "Right on time," I muttered.

"Now that you've finished your _charming_ reunion," SI said the word with disgust. "I do believe I owe you an explanation."

"A lengthy one, at that," Rhyme corrected.

"You should change into fresh clothes first," SI said. "There is a bathroom on the opposite side of Neku's room."

Rhyme got her clothes out of her dresser and went into my bathroom. I changed into blue jeans and a white tank top and put my purple jacket on overtop. I threw my old clothes to the corner since I was in a hurry.

Rhyme came out of the bathroom wearing a bright yellow T-shirt and red shorts. She had her music box in her right hand.

We both met SI in the room. "What now?" I asked.

SI tapped the ground twice with his staff. A secret door opened up behind him. "Come," he said.

We followed him through the door. Rhyme held my hand tight.

We were walking through a metal corridor. It was small; there were only two doors on either side, and one at the end. It reminded me of a Star Trek movie I saw on vacation, only this corridor was made out of a black metal, maybe iron.

"Small HQ," I observed.

"One of many," SI said, not bothering to turn around. He led us to the end of the corridor, and it opened automatically.

It was a white room with a small, rectangular table in the center. I wondered why SI wasted so much space, but with him, there's always a reason.

SI sat down at the end of the table. Rhyme sat at the other end, and I sat to her right.

"Now, before we begin, I'm going to lay down some conversation rules," SI said. "Number one: When I ask a question or tell you to do something, you _must_ do it, no matter what it is."

Rhyme cringed when he said this, but I could understand where she was coming from.

"Number two: I know what I am doing. My methods might seem bizarre to some people, but rest assured I only want the best for you at heart. There will be _no_ objections to my plans or reasoning. If you don't understand now, you will eventually," SI finished.

Rhyme and I nodded.

SI rested his cane against his chair, and summoned some tea. Cups appeared in front of Rhyme and me, also.

"Ginseng, again?" I asked.

"Actually, this is raspberry, my very favorite," SI said. "Be careful, it's hot."

I looked at the steaming cup and decided I would wait until it cooled down. Rhyme came to a similar conclusion.

"Now, you are in my training facility, level zero," SI said. "Here you will learn how to survive without your powers, should the need arise."

"In this tiny thing?" Rhyme asked.

SI held up his hand. "Let me finish. You will be teleported to a distant world and will compete against forty-eight others for Relics I have placed there. Keep in mind they are _not_ actual people, only automations I have built. They will serve as infantry when the time comes, but they have powers of their own. They have hopes, dreams, and ambitions, too. At times, you will forget that they aren't real people. Make friends with some of them. Earn yourself a reputation for being helpful. It will come full circle later on."

I felt the side of my teacup. Still too hot.

"How will it come full circle?" Rhyme asked.

"Treat the automatons as real people. If you treat them like simple machines, they will despise you. If you treat them like your friends, like real people, then they will do as much as they possibly can to help you. Late in the training program, you have to recruit five holograms to serve you in your stead. It will be much easier if they're _begging_ to help you," SI said.

"I see," I said. Still too hot.

"But because you are my disciples, you get an added bonus," SI said. "To survive this training, you must gain muscle mass and stamina at twice the normal rate. I have developed a set of devices that vastly increase your fitness as long as you wear them, and the rest will come on its own." SI summoned two cases. "I'll attach one to each of your arms, legs, two on your torso, and one on your neck. Neku, please remove your shirt."

I jumped. "What?"

"You heard me," SI's face was expressionless, so I couldn't read him.

I looked at Rhyme, who had covered up her mouth with her hand in a vain attempt to keep from laughing.

I switched between glaring at her and SI. Finally I said, "Fine." I took off my jacket and removed my tank top.

I really wasn't anything special, but SI said, "Oh, my, we have a lot of work to do, now don't we?"

"He's right, Neku, you seriously need to, like, buff up," Rhyme giggled.

SI and I glared at her.

"There will be multiple situations like this later," SI said. He opened his case, and bands flew out of it and attached themselves to the places SI had described. Two had to snake up my jeans, but I kept from cringing, so Rhyme wouldn't laugh at me. Well, at least more than she was already.

The bands were skin colored, so they blended in perfectly. I felt tiny stabs of pain inside me, but they subsided quickly.

Rhyme was still giggling, even after I had put my clothes back on.

SI sighed. "You had better mature before you come across another situation equally uncomfortable, which will be in, I dunno, five seconds."

Rhyme stopped laughing and looked at him. "Come again?"

"Did you think Neku would be the only one getting the bands?" SI questioned.

Now it was my turn to smirk as Rhyme began to look increasingly uncomfortable.

"Oh, no, there's _no_ way I'm going to take of my shirt in front of _him_." Rhyme pointed at me.

"Oh, please. You have a bra on, don't you?" SI asked, annoyed.

"Yeah, but-" Rhyme protested.

"Then there's nothing at all to be worried about. And there's no getting around it," SI added.

Rhyme threw her head back in frustration. "Arrgh!"

"Don't be a baby," SI said. "Waste much more time, and I'll undress you myself. Your pants, too."

Finally, Rhyme relented. She took off her shirt. Nothing worth mentioning there, either, except the fact that she was extremely thin, probably from all the stress she went through in the past couple of days.

"Wow, Rhyme, you seriously need to, like, buff up," I mocked.

She looked at me and blushed deeply.

SI opened the second case, and the bands attached themselves to Rhyme. She didn't look at me again until she had put her shirt back on.

"Now that that is over with," SI continued, "We shall venture to the world that the mission is at. You are fortunate; you got in the program just before the first mission. Others have had to wait weeks, or even months."

"Lucky us," Rhyme muttered.

"You will be divided into ten teams of five," SI said. "There are five Relics, so twenty-five people will be moving on."

"Are we on the same team?" I asked.

"Yes, for now. But you are not the team leaders. If you prove yourself invaluable, then you could very well be promoted. But if you are useless, you could be traded away to another team. Always try your best," SI said.

"Got it," I said.

"Are you prepared?" SI asked.

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Also, before I forget. You will have one week to find a Relic, counting today. If you find two or more, though that is very unlikely, you can give them to the team of your choice. You also will receive a special device on the lines of a GPS and map, use it to your advantage," SI said. "Good luck to you both. I expect great things."

We both nodded.

"Rise," SI commanded. We did.

"Now stand against the wall," he continued. We did that, too.

SI waved his hand. A portal opened behind us, and we fell through.


	7. August 6th: Level Zero

Actually, falling wasn't all that bad.

Rhyme freaked out as soon as she realized how high we were; about a quarter mile above the surface of some planet. But, in reality, we were falling about five feet a second, which really wasn't that bad.

Grabbing Rhyme's hand to make sure she was still here, I took a minute to observe the surroundings.

The whole planet, as far as I could see, was covered in forests. The trees were normal autumn colors, with some others mixed in, like blue and purple. There was a brisk chill in the air—not hot, not cold. A pale red light shone off of the trees. When I turned toward it, I was temporarily blinded. Duh. It was a red sun.

It took us a little less than five minutes to reach a small clearing in the trees. Suddenly, when we neared the ground, gravity sped up and I face-planted in a pile of leaves, with Rhyme on top of me.

She rolled off of me and looked around. "How quaint," she said.

When I got a look, too, I saw that in this small clearing was a small home. Probably four rooms, at most. There were all sorts of equipment set up, from where I could see. Looking up, the trees stretched for miles up in the air. Weird. They had seemed shorter coming down.

A kid about my age helped me up. He had long brown hair and pale brown glasses. The strange glint in his eye reminded me of Joshua, the Shibuya Composer; head of the Game, but less creepy. He looked friendly and upbeat. His hands, though, were blackened and burned, suggesting he had been playing with fire or electrical equipment lately.

"They're here!" he called.

"I have eyes, y'know," called an old man from inside. He was tall, with surprisingly good posture. He had large hands that were absently toying with a metal device. He looked like he was of African decent. He walked toward me, and said, "Tryphon Martin. You can call me Mr. M." He had a kind of weathered look that made me think he had once been a professional wilderness guide, or something else outdoorsy.

The brown-haired kid stuck out his hand and said, "Vidar Dragoslav."

I shook it. "Neku Sakabura."

"Raimu Bito. But you can call me Rhyme," Rhyme said.

I looked around. "Isn't there supposed to be one more?"

"She's doing reconnaissance," Mr. M said. "Marking suspicious places where Relics might be hidden."

"Marking them on what?" I asked.

"Our Maps," Tryphon said, holding out the device in his hand. "They serve as GPSes, communication and identifying devices, and maps, of course. I'll go fetch some for you."

I looked at brown-hair. "Vidar, right?"

"Yes?" he asked.

"What are we looking for, again?" I asked.

"Relics. Every team that finds a Relic gets to move on to Level One," he said. "If you find more than one, then you get to give them away."

"No, he means, what do they look like?" Rhyme said.

"Oh. Well, I'm a newbie, so I have no idea. See that tripod over there?" Vidar pointed to the device we saw earlier. At first glance, it looked like a tripod with a camera pointed straight up at the sky. "In a few hours, it'll project the pictures of the Relics. Most of them are obvious, but impossible to get to; others are cleverly hidden but will reveal themselves when certain conditions are met. Simple, really."

Rhyme nodded. "So, basically, we hike until we find a Relic?" she asked.

"Exactly," Vidar said. "Jaylee is already searching for suspicious places. With her help, we'll have a Relic in no time flat."

"Yay!" Rhyme said, doing a little hop.

Vidar laughed. "I guess you're our little trooper!"

"You know it!" Rhyme giggled.

"Well, then, we'd better get started," Vidar said.

"There's no time like the present!" Rhyme agreed.

"Before you head out, take these," Tryphon said, handing Rhyme and I both a Map. "The little red arrows point to places Jaylee marked. See all the black? It'll disappear when you walk by it. The blue arrow is camp. Be back by sundown, else you'll run into some predators, or worse, raiders."

"Raiders?" I asked.

"Nasty people from other teams who like to impede your progress," Vidar said. "Don't worry; they won't mess with you if you get back here by sundown."

"All right," Rhyme said, fiddling with her Map.

"You'll figure it out," Vidar said, clapping a hand on Rhyme shoulder. He winked. "Don't get eaten by wolves out there, alright?"

"How'd you two get here?" Rhyme asked.

"Pfft, I dunno. The teams were probably chosen randomly," Vidar said. "We can talk about it later. Right now, we have to try and keep up with the other teams!"

Rhyme nodded, and grinned. She set off at a run toward the forest, and I had to sprint to keep up.

We had been running for a while when I noticed something.

"Hey, Rhyme?" I asked.

"Yes," she said, not bothering to look back.

"Shouldn't we be, I dunno, _tired_ by now?" I asked.

She skidded to a halt. "Hmm…" she tapped her food, and shrugged. "Why dwell on it?"

"Good point," I agreed, though I was still troubled. Suddenly, I felt much lighter, and slowed down considerably. "Can I dwell on this?" I asked.

Rhyme shocked me by jumping at least ten feet up in the air and landing gracefully. "I think there was a field around camp that increased the gravity. Maybe this planet is smaller than Earth."

I tested her theory by jumping up to a tree branch fifteen feet of the ground and grabbing it with my hands. I pulled myself up effortlessly. I laughed. "Cool!"

"Isn't it?" Rhyme said, jumping from limb to limb. "Race you to the top!"

"You're on!" I said.

It was cake. Our new-and-improved endurance capabilities combined with the decreased gravity led to a close match. In the end, though, Rhyme won when I tried to grab a branch that was _just_ out of reach.

Had this been any other occasion, Rhyme would've made fun of me for beating me, but she was gaping at a gigantic tree that towered above the others. The funny thing was, it was at the slightest bit of an angle. I don't think Rhyme noticed.

"Hey, Neku," she said. "Is there any way we could see the top?"

"I'll try snapping a photo with the Map," I said. Pressing a few buttons on the touch screen, I got the best view of the canopy of the tree that I could, and took a picture.

When Rhyme saw I was finished, she said, "Now zoom in."

I did that and said, "There's, like, this _tiny_ red glimmer."

"But that doesn't make sense, because the sun's at our backs," Rhyme argued.

"The sun's also _setting_ behind our backs," I said. I scratched the back of my neck. "But wait. It was noon when we left."

"We've only been out here, what, an hour?" Rhyme asked. She shrugged. "I guess we can ask about it we get back. Race you to the bottom?"

"You're on," I said.

It ended up as a falling contest as we both decided the fasted way down was to slowly fall. Right before we landed, I lifted Rhyme above my head.

"Hey!" she pouted. "Cheater!"

"Fair's fair," I smirked. Purple was dancing on the horizon, and I saw the imposing shadow of a huge moon in the distance. Think of Earth's moon, but three times bigger, and blue.

"I'll get you back," she grinned.

I ruffled her hair, and she pulled away. Soon, though, she was leaning against me for comfort.

"You tired, Rhyme?" I asked.

"No, it's just…" she started, then sighed. I noticed a single tear run down her cheek, but pretended I didn't. "I feel safe around, you, Neku."

"How so?" I asked.

"Well, Beat would be blabbering about some bonehead plan to kill SI, and Shiki is just, well… she'd break down the moment she woke up at the base. You keep a level head. I like to believe that you'd know what to do in any situation," Rhyme explained.

"Do I sense some hero worship?" I teased. "Want my autograph?"

Rhyme giggled, and wiped her eyes. "No, like I said, you're my sense of security. Without you… I'd probably pull a Shiki."

We laughed, and I ruffled her hair. She reached up and ruffled mine. We ended up giving each other noogies all the way home.

"What's with you're hair?" Vidar asked when he saw our matted, twisted, crooked manes.

"Fell in a ditch," Rhyme answered.

"We think we might have found something," I said.

"In the ditch?" Vidar cocked an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes and showed him the picture.

"No, that's not a Relic, as far as I know," Vidar said. "Relics don't glow like that."

"What is it, then?" I asked.

"I dunno, man. We'll check in out in a few days," he said.

"A few days?" I asked.

Vidar looked at me, then laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry. This planet rotates faster than most. Once every eight hours, I think."

"Which means…?" I asked.

"Four hours of day, four hours of night," Vidar said. "We get 168 hours to find a Relic. I don't think SI would make one so easy to see."

"Thanks for killing my high, man," I moaned.

Vidar laughed and clapped me on the back. "It might be something of interest. We have roughly 164 more hours before we have to head back."

"Any idea what the time on Earth would be?" I asked.

He thought for a moment. "When you came here, it was eight, and it's been something like two hours. So, my best bet, ten a.m."

"And you expect me to sleep?" I folded my arms.

"It's nighttime." Vidar pointed up to the starry sky. "You're disciples, right?"

"What's _that_ got to do with it?" I questioned.

"You like asking questions, don't you?" Vidar laughed. "SI gave you a set of braces. That's why you don't feel drained. But as soon as you lay down for a minute, you're _dead_. The bracers allow you to sleep whenever, because where you're going, you need all the rest you can get."

"I see," I said.

"You'll see how useful that is when the situation is life-or-death," Vidar said. "For now: rest. You'll need it when you're climbing that tree."

I found Rhyme inside the dorms chatting away a blond girl about her age, probably Jaylee. The girl had a mischievous glint in her eye. She looked at me, probably wondering if I would fall for one of her pranks or not. Her right hand was missing its ring finger.

The dorms had three bunks. Vidar had called the top one, not that I cared, so I changed and showered in the bathroom. I was shocked to see some of my belongings in a dresser we all shared, and my journal in the first place I looked.

I also realized I had skipped a day in my journal entries. Today was the sixth. Two days since this mess had started. I wanted to keep a memo of all this so that I could reference it, should it come in handy.

I hid my journal in my right pocket and went out to the back. I sat down and leaned against the brick building as I wrote:

Wednesday, August 6th

I am on an alien planet with Rhyme. In just two days, I have gone from being a somewhat normal teen in Tokyo to a space training program that lasts ten months. Why am I such a target for bad luck?

There's this guy, SI. He's super powerful, but also crazy, so I don't know what to expect from him. I think he might have trapped Rhyme in a Parasite Pin for some reason. It's this pin that sucks out your life force to reproduce.

Rhyme has been acting funny, too. I don't know if it's puberty or what, but she is saying all this crap that makes me feel… fuzzy, if that's the right word, but wary at the same time. I want to be around her, but I think she's using me like a comfort object, like a security blanket.

But, the scary thing is, I like this new life. Maybe it isn't so bad after all. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

-_From the pages of Neku __Sakuraba_


	8. August 7th: Tree Climbing

"Is he awake?"

"Go check."

"I'm not checking, you check!"

"Are you insane?"

"Just do it!"

"Why should I?"

"Because he's _your_ friend, now go check!"

"Aww, do I have to?"

"Yes! Go check!"

Somehow, I subconsciously rolled my eyes in my sleep. What jarred me is that as soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Rhyme tip-toeing her way over to my bed.

Deciding that they were attempting a prank, I said, "Rhyme."

"Eep!" she yelled, glancing down. Then she said, "Y-Yes?"

"I think Vidar would be a _much_ better sport about this than I would," I said.

Vidar rolled over in bed. "Zzz… wha?"

"What? You think we're pranking you?" Rhyme asked.

"Whatever it is, I need to sleep," I said.

"But if we wait much longer, Neku, we won't be able to climb the tree before sundown!" Rhyme said.

"Ugh, fine," I said rolling out of bed. My foot and pajamas got soaked in a tray of sludge. Mud splashed on the carpet.

Rhyme had a hand over her mouth. "God, Neku, I didn't think you'd actually fall for it!"

I pointed at her, and glared. "It's on."

"Oh, come on, get dressed so we can leave," Rhyme laughed.

It wasn't that bad, actually. But still, it bit how I had fallen for something that simple. I showered and dressed into a black tank top and shorts.

Vidar would come with me for the climbing mission. After what had happened, he said I needed some 'guy time.'

And I agreed with him. I'd had enough of Rhyme and her new bad influence of a friend for one day.

"So, I hear Jaylee and Rhyme pulled a fast one on you today," Vidar said as we walked along. He was carrying a large pack on his back, but didn't seem to mind that I didn't have anything to carry besides my Map.

"I've been trying to think of a way to get back at them," I confessed.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard," Vidar said. He reached up and picked a purple leaf off a tree. He handed it to me. "Juice that, mix it with water, and tell her its grape juice. Make some real grape juice for yourself, too."

"Thanks, but how can I be sure it's not poisonous?" I asked.

"Take a picture of it with your map, then analyze it," Vidar said.

I did that, and read the list of qualities that showed up. "_Uti leaf. Season: Autumn. Non-toxic. Taste: Spicy, bitter. Chemical compound in leaf causes severe but short-lived burning sensation on skin or in mouth_." I looked at Vidar. "Don't you think that's a little harsh?"

He shrugged. "Your decision. Wait, do it now, play it by ear, I don't care. Just make sure you keep it in mind."

"I will. Thanks again," I said.

"We're here," Vidar said.

A towering tree stood above us. It stretched for what looked like miles up into the air. The sun didn't hit the ground at all, so it was darker than typical shade. Its leaves were red and its trunk was gray.

"Wow," I said. "It looked big from far away, but geez."

Vidar laughed. "We're climbing it, so prepare yourself. Gravity hasn't let up one bit, either."

I swore. We weren't outside the camp's gravity field yet.

Vidar got picks and spikes out of his pack. He attached spikes to my shoes, then to his. He got his picks out and started climbing. I followed him, trying to imitate his climbing technique.

"Rrgh," I said. I wasn't wearing out; I just couldn't keep up with Vidar, which frustrated me.

"Wanna slow down?" Vidar called from about fifty feet above me.

"No!" I said, climbing even faster. _Right, left, foot, foot, right, left, foot, foot_.

Vidar laughed. He merrily egged on my frustration, which effectively sped me up. Soon Vidar had to sprint to keep up.

By the time we reached the first humongous branches, Vidar was panting, and I hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Give up?" I taunted.

"You go on ahead," Vidar gasped, slowing down. "Keep an eye out. Other teams are sure to have seen this by now, or at the very least, heard us. We have about two hours before the sun sets, and we're not even to the top yet."

Something Vidar said struck me as odd. "How do you know? We can't even see the sun!"

"Call it intuition," Vidar panted. "Now go, before the Raiders come out."

I wasn't so sure, but I went ahead anyway. Soon I had reached the leafy part of the tree. Pushing the smaller branches away, I ascended to the canopy.

There was a small, glowing gem on the top of the tree. It was about the size of a tissue box and shaped like a crystal ball. It was dark black, but glowed red. I took a picture of it for future reference.

I stumbled over leaves and branches to get to it. I was about five feet from it when my head started hurting. The closer I got, the more it hurt. Time seemed to slow down. My hand kept reaching for the gem, but never got there. I was blinded, but evermore determined to get this gem.

My entire body started to hurt. The pain was unbearable. My vision started to fluctuate. But I wasn't going to give up. Relic or not, this was important.

Suddenly, I felt someone pulling me back. I snarled and pushed him away.

"_Neku! Neku, what's going on?_"

I didn't hear them. I was trying to get the gem, even though waves of energy were pounding into my flesh.

When I touched the gem, I blacked out.

I awoke in the bottom bunk at base camp.

My head was pounding. There was a giant hole in my memory. I remember getting to the top of the tree, something about a gem… but then nothing.

Rhyme sat near me, hugging me tight when I opened my eyes. Vidar was rubbing cream on a large welt on his arm.

"Neku! What happened?" Rhyme demanded.

"Well… I…" I paused, because my voice was raspy and hoarse, and I didn't know why. I didn't sound like me. "I climbed to the top of the tree… and that's all I remember."

"Vidar?" she asked.

"Neku was trying to get to the gem for who knows how long when I found him, frozen in place. He was still able to elbow me pretty hard, though, when I tried to pull him back." Vidar laughed as though nothing was wrong. "He touched the stone, then blacked out. I was barely able to drag him away without getting hit with some waves from that gem. It was bad."

"I wasn't sure you were going to wake up," Rhyme said, almost crying. "You were twisting and screaming in your bed. Only fifteen minutes ago did it stop."

"Where are Jaylee and Mr. M?" I asked.

"Mr. M is cooking up a brew he says will help you calm down," Vidar said. "Jaylee is picking up the slack. She really wanted to see the gem herself, but after taking a glance at you, I told her that she'd better not. She should be back, soon. Oh, and, there's someone here to see you. He came in a little bit ago and told me to get him when you woke up, and here you are."

Vidar went out to find the mystery visitor.

Rhyme frowned. "I wonder who it could be?"

"Don't you know?" I asked.

"I haven't left your side since Vidar dragged you into bed," Rhyme said.

A tall visitor walked into the room. His head was covered by a hood, but I would recognize that emerald-tipped cane anywhere.

"SI," I growled.

He laughed, and closed the door behind him. "Well, I suppose I couldn't expect you to be _glad_ to see me," he said.

"Cut the crap," I said, surprisingly spirited for being knocked out by an evil rock. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, please," SI scoffed. "You make it sound like I am here to drink your blood, or turn you into mindless zombies. Because that _is_ what I'm going to do, unless you hear me out."

Rhyme nodded, and I grimaced.

"Good, then," SI continued. "That gem you grabbed was the whole concentration of negative energy on this planet. Every planet has one. You, Neku, being made of negative energy, weren't destroyed, thankfully, but almost nobody could go so close as to _touch_ it before being blasted apart by negative energy."

"So I'm lucky?" I asked.

SI snorted. "Dumb luck, at that. At any rate, your negative energy has been multiplied tenfold, making you on par with Rhyme in power. I think it is mandatory to pull you into level one, so you learn to control your powers, lest you blast the planet in two."

"Oh?" I asked.

"As such, I have no choice but to also pull Jaylee, Vidar, and Tryphon out of training also," SI said.

"What will happen to them?" Rhyme asked.

"I supposed you have grown attached. Very well. They will be put in a separate training program. You will see them every day," SI said.

"But why is our training program cut so short?" Rhyme asked.

"Because Neku had to go and touch the gem," SI said. "Now he is incredibly unstable. And I cannot leave an incomplete team on level zero. So, like it or not, you've been promoted."

"I think I'll go with, 'like it,'" I said.

SI rolled his eyes. "Yes, well, you will fall asleep here, and wake up in your dorms. They will be the same, except for a third room and second bathroom. You will meet your new training partner tomorrow. I think you might know him. Now, both of you, get some rest."

We nodded. Rhyme went to help Mr. M with the stew, but I fell asleep dead away.

And boy, did I sleep.


End file.
